


Ease

by silentdescant



Category: Pentatonix, Superfruit
Genre: Anxiety, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Headspace, Little Headspace, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 16:09:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9499565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentdescant/pseuds/silentdescant
Summary: Mitch is panicky and anxious and Scott comforts him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For Sarah's birthday!! With some inspiration taken from various chat groups. :)

In public, with so many cameras around, there’s not a lot Scott can do to ease Mitch’s anxieties. His heart aches for Mitch, because he can see how much the crowd is affecting him. The others can sense it too, and as if choreographed, Kevin and Avi move into place beside Scott, sheltering Mitch between them. Even Kirstie’s picking up the slack by jumping in to answer interview questions, and Scott’s never felt so appreciative of their little family dynamic.

Mitch’s shoulders are tight and raised, and his entire body is vibrating with tension, and Scott wants nothing more than to take Mitch’s hands and rub them until the shaking stops. His focus is not at all on the people talking to him, asking him trite, formulaic questions. He curls his fingers around Mitch’s wrist. He’s trying to be subtle. Mitch doesn’t react—he wouldn’t draw attention to the touch, not here in front of people, but he doesn’t visibly relax either, and when it’s finally time to go inside, Scott lets Kirstie lead. He falls into step behind her and pulls Mitch against him, resting his hand at the curve of his back. He finds a way to keep touching Mitch all night, hoping to ground him with some small sort of comfort.

By the end of the event, Scott is tired and frustrated, and Mitch has been forcing smiles and that look progressively more and more sarcastic. Mitch is polite and charming up until the point that he’s suddenly _not_ , and Scott has been on edge for hours, half-expecting Mitch to reach his breaking point and snap.

But now they’re home and Scott can breathe, and he’s free to hold Mitch’s hand as they go into their bedroom. Mitch is still tense, his expression pinched and serious.

“How’re you feeling? You wanna watch a movie or something, or… just go to bed?” Scott asks. He needs to get Mitch talking, maybe distract him from whatever is going on in his head.

Mitch pulls off his blazer and drops it over the arm of a chair and doesn’t respond.

“Mitchy?”

“Hmm?”

Scott catches Mitch in his arms and hugs him tightly from behind, hooking his chin over Mitch’s shoulder. “I think you need to relax.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not. You wanna tell me about it?” He can feel Mitch pouting even without looking at his face. Scott changes tacks. “You were so good tonight,” he murmurs. “Even when people were asking stupid questions, you were so sweet and nice to them. I was so proud of you, princess.”

Mitch rests his hands on Scott’s folded arms and tilts his head back slightly against Scott’s shoulder. He’s listening.

“Everyone loved you tonight. I could tell they were all jealous of your sparkly jewelry and your gorgeous outfit. You know how beautiful you are, sweetheart?”

Mitch whispers, “Do you think they could tell?”

“Tell what?”

“How scared I was.”

“No, baby, no, just me. No one could tell but me. I always know when you’re scared because it’s my job to protect you. But if you keep putting on a brave face like you did tonight, you’ll put me out of work.”

Mitch turns around in Scott’s arms and buries his face in Scott’s lapel. “Never. I’ll always need you.”

“Here, let me…”

Scott helps him undress, lays out his expensive clothes over the chair so they won’t wrinkle before Mitch can put them away properly tomorrow. Mitch crawls into bed while Scott is undressing—he’s less careful with his own clothes, leaving his suit haphazardly folded in a pile on the floor—and when Scott turns around to join him, he finds Mitch curled up under the blanket already.

“I’m sorry I was such a mess tonight,” Mitch mutters under his breath. “I tried to be social, I really did—”

“You did fine, sweetheart,” Scott interrupts smoothly. He slides into bed beside Mitch and holds up the blankets so they can arrange themselves without getting all tangled up. Mitch wiggles down and kicks his feet around until he’s comfortable. Scott lets the blankets fall around them, reaching over Mitch to tuck them in against his back.

“Sorry,” Mitch says again, looking up at Scott with dark, sorrowful eyes.

Scott pulls Mitch into his arms and fits their bodies together. “Don’t say that. You’re perfect. I just wish I could’ve done more for you. My little princess. I wish I could protect you always. From everything.”

Mitch presses his lips to Scott’s sternum before settling into the crook of his arm, resting his head on Scott’s shoulder. “You do.”

“Time to sleep, sweetheart,” Scott tells him, petting his hair until it lays flat on his forehead. “Close your eyes.”

Mitch does as Scott says and doesn’t complain when Scott reaches back, blindly stretching and groping around on the nightstand until his fingers find the light switch. The bedroom blinks into darkness, the only sound their mingled breaths. Mitch’s are too rapid, too shallow—Scott rubs his back with one hand until some of the tension in Mitch’s muscles eases. Mitch’s hand is still clenched into a fist, though, pressed against Scott’s chest and hard as a rock. Scott twists their legs together, to touch as much of Mitch’s body as he can, to give him as much shelter as he needs.

He kisses the top of Mitch’s head once more and whispers, “Sleep now, princess. I’m right here for you, always.” He settles into the pillow and deliberately slows his breathing. Mitch picks up on it instantly, matching his own breaths to Scott’s. It’s a familiar relaxation technique; Scott doesn’t even need to instruct him now.

Before long, Mitch’s hand relaxes, his fingers curled peacefully in sleep. Scott’s lips purse into an easy smile as he finally closes his eyes too.

 

 _fin_.


End file.
